Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2023

by Jeni Port

Not the easiest of vintages, 2023 was cool and wet. This might explain the arrival of a new region to the St. Henri blend: Frankland River. It joins Port Lincoln and regulars McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Padthaway in what must have been a busy blending exercise. Keeps true to the style in warmth of personality. A deeply coloured wine with intense blackberry, plum, briar, earth, leather aromas. The texture is striking, layered in deep pile, fine tannins and tiers of ripe black fruits, spices that lift, notes of chocolate and earth and a clean, smooth run through to the finish. A challenging vintage once again proves the value of Penfolds multi-regional blending philosophy and turns out an impressive St. Henri.

by Ken Gargett

100% Shiraz, maturation is in large older oak vats, for this vintage, twelve months. This particular release is especially interesting as fruit from outside South Australia has been included. A percentage of the Shiraz is from Frankland River in Western Australia. Given how special the vintage was in that region, it shouldn’t really be a surprise. The other regions to contribute were McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Port Lincoln and Padthaway. An extremely good, though not absolutely elite, St Henri. Dark plum/opaque maroon in colour, this is ripe and generously flavoured, most approachable in its youthfulness. The balance is excellent and the finish lingering. On the nose we have aromas including bay leaves, black fruits, cocoa powder, baking spices, mulberries, smoked meats, bergamot, aniseed and something akin to a chocolate snack bar which is rather enticing. Seamless, supple and with a creamy texture and a line of juicy acidity, this is so well balanced. It really is an excellent St Henri, and will provide pleasure for the next twenty-five years. 2026 – 2051. 96 Points

by Lisa Cardelli

Like descending into a cool, dark cave in the middle of scorching summer heat, you get overwhelmed with an overall sense of coolness and stillness; a quiet moment to regroup, reflect and reassess. It’s all there: freshly crushed black cherries, boysenberries and the wildest blackcurrants, alongside the aroma of freshly brewed Chinese tea. But you sort of have to move around in the dark, touching cold walls while feeling fresh droplets under your fingers. The palate mimics that continuous stream of water flowing from somewhere. The fruit density melts into that of the tannins, the oak wrapping around the two elements, combining everything together to give you that light you were searching for. You’re welcome to drink it now, as it gives you hints here and there, but I’d prefer to wait a little longer. 2026 – 2050. 96 Points

by  Tom Kline

Shiraz from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Frankland River, Port Lincoln and Padthaway; 12 months in large, seasoned oak vats with no new oak. First released commercially in 1957, St Henri has always stood as Grange’s deliberate counterpoint — proudly unreliant on new oak, matured instead in large, seasoned vats that let the wine’s own structure and savoury character develop rather than layering on oak influence. It’s a style that has held its identity through decades of changing fashion, rich and plush on release before settling into softer, earthy, mocha-like tones with age. Deep-set and brooding in the glass with sweet shortbread, cacao nib and black pepper at the fore before blackberry, black cherry, mint choc and black liquorice emerge. There’s some menthol, coal and black tea with further air. There’s good concentration to the palate — it drives through the mouth with black pepper dancing around blackberry, black cherry, plum, menthol, black liquorice and mint again. The savoury spice notes re-emerge through the finish alongside the dark fruit drive and liquorice tones. The tannins are quite integrated but long and driving, elongating the finish to great length. A dark-fruited and brooding affair with complexity and length in abundance. 95 Points

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic